There have been doubts on the fate of the 2024 India MotoGP race, scheduled for September 20-22, with recent reports suggesting it could be replaced by Kazakhstan on the calender. However, this isn’t set in stone, with an official spokesperson from Fairstreet Sports (organiser of the Indian GP) telling Autocar India that the race is scheduled to go ahead as planned.
“The Indian GP will go ahead as planned during September 20-22, 2024,” said the spokesperson. “Everything is going ahead smoothly and all relevant stakeholders are well aware of the current Model Code of Conduct guidelines due to the ongoing General Elections in India.”
Kazakhstan to replace Indian GP?
The inaugural Indian GP, held last year, saw the Buddh International Circuit host a world championship event for the first time in a decade. There were some organisational issues and several key staff and even star riders like Marc Marquez faced visa delays. But the track itself proved to be a hit, with riders praising the technical nature of the track.
The race attracted a crowd of over 58,000 people on Sunday and just days later, MotoGP confirmed that it would be returning to India in 2024. However, earlier this year, local reports emerged suggesting that Fairstreet Sports hasn’t paid its dues to MotoGP rights holder Dorna and some vendors. Fairstreet denied these allegations at the time.
And this is where Kazakhstan enters the picture. After some delays, the inaugural Kazakhstan GP was slated to be held in mid-June. But the race was postponed due to flooding in the area, with Dorna saying it will be rescheduled to later this year. This is a tough task given the current layout of the 2024 calendar, which features 11 races from August to November.
Model Code of Conduct complicates matters
Latest reports say a deadline of May 20 has been set for Fairstreet Sport to complete payments. However, with elections currently underway in India, the Model Code of Conduct has been enforced since March. Under this, Ministers and other authorities cannot sanction grants or payments out of discretionary funds from the time elections are announced. As a result, Fairstreet Sports will have to wait until at least June 4 to complete pending payments.
Given the prior cancellation of the F1 Indian GP and more recently, the Formula E race in Hyderabad, losing the MotoGP race would be a big blow to the country’s reputation as a global motorsport host. Autocar India has contacted Dorna for an official statement, but they hadn't replied until the time of publishing this story.
At least for the time being, we have to wait and watch to see how events unfold.
Dipan Sur
